"Judging from the results of our experiment, it's probably best if I stop trying to focus on both at the same time."
After checking the status screen, I had gone to have lunch with Reina-san and Olivia-san again today, just the three of us.
Sitting at our table, I brought up the dilemma I had run into during training.
"In that case, there's a skill that's perfect for you. You know the one, right, Reina-chan?"
"Yes. That skill might indeed be the ideal fit for Erik-kun."
With that, Olivia-san and Reina-san explained the skill to me.
Its name was [Parallel Thinking].
It was a skill that allowed its user to process multiple trains of thought simultaneously.
Veteran mages often possessed it, utilizing it to help cast multiple spells at once.
"By the way, I have it, and Reina-chan does too."
"I can't use magic, but it comes in very handy for my guild work."
"I had no idea such a convenient skill even existed..."
Excited by the prospect of this new skill, I promised Olivia-san that we would train to acquire it tomorrow.
Once we finished lunch, I met up with Philia at the Adventurer's Guild.
Then, just like every other day, we headed outside the city and into the forest to hunt monsters.
"Erik-kun, did you practice your magic again today?"
"Yeah. In fact, I can already cast it."
Saying that, I used [Earth Magic] to conjure a sphere of dirt and launched it forward.
"Whoa, incredible! You really can do it!"
Philia watched my spell, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Well, I only just got the hang of it, so it's pretty weak. My control is nowhere near ready for real combat yet."
"Even so, that's already amazing! I need to work hard on my training too!"
Encouraged by Philia's enthusiasm, we arrived at the forest and began our hunt.
Teaming up hadn't drastically changed how we fought monsters.
However, close calls had become far less frequent, and we were able to hunt at a steady, reliable pace.
Philia, much like me, wasn't reckless.
She listened carefully to instructions and let me know immediately if anything felt off with her condition.
"Hey, Philia. Want to make our party official?"
As the evening bell tolled and we were walking back to the royal capital, I posed the question to Philia at my side.
Taken completely by surprise, Philia stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide with astonishment.
"...Huh? Wh-Where did that come from all of a sudden!?"
"We've been hunting together for the past few days, right? Even though this was our first time teaming up, our coordination was great, and I thought I'd like to keep going like this. Unless, of course, you'd rather party with someone else."
"No way! I want to keep partying with you too, Erik-kun, so let's definitely make it official!"
Hearing my reassurance, Philia beamed happily and agreed.
And just like that, we went from a temporary party to an official one.
In terms of actual paperwork, there wasn't really anything left to do.
Labeling ourselves "temporary" or "official" was just something between the two of us; our formal party registration was already on file.
Even so, I made sure to properly update Reina-san, since she knew our circumstances.
"I see. Hearing that you two have made it official makes me very happy as well."
Reina-san shared our joy over the news.
With our report finished, we went ahead and cashed in the materials from the monsters we had defeated.
We had taken down 40 slimes and 10 horn rabbits.
The total payout came to 28 copper coins, so we split it evenly at 14 coins each before calling it a day.
After parting ways, I returned to the inn. I finished dinner, took a bath, and finally sat down on the chair in my room.
"...Hunting alone really isn't going to cut it to make a living, is it?"
Defeating stronger monsters would yield more money.
However, we were currently only hunting low-tier monsters.
The payout was proportional to the weak prey, meaning our savings were slowly trickling away.
"Maybe I should ask to wrap up tomorrow's training a bit early... I'd like to earn some extra cash taking on city quests."
Based on past experience, there were quite a few town-based commissions that paid in silver coins.
Taking on just one of those would greatly ease our financial worries.
"Then again, even if I suddenly ask for a quest, Reina-san probably won't have one ready on the spot... For now, I'll just consult her about it."
Having made up my mind, I lay down on the bed and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up at my usual time and did the laundry.
Today, I decided to dedicate my morning practice to [Earth Magic] instead of [Swordsmanship].
[Mana Control] was an option, too, but that was better practiced with Olivia-san nearby.
With that in mind, I continued my training until Amanda-san came out.
◇
You have trained in [Earth Magic].
Gained 1 EXP.
18/100 to next level.
◇
As expected, dedicating my focus to a single skill yielded much better EXP efficiency.
As for the method itself, I used to sit on the ground with my palms pressed against the dirt, but now I could practice while standing upright.
Soon enough, Amanda-san came out to the backyard, so I gave her a hand with the morning chores as usual.
"That reminds me. There's a favor I'd like to ask of you, Erik—or rather, something I was hoping you could do while you're out here, if you don't mind."
"A favor? Please, I'd be glad to help!"
When Amanda-san brought it up over breakfast, I accepted without hesitation.
"Now, now, don't go agreeing before you've even heard what it is."
Amanda-san chided me with a wry smile before explaining.
The favor turned out to be leveling the backyard ground.
Though weeds were kept under control, the dirt was somewhat uneven and had stones scattered all over.
"Leveling the ground? Understood. Should I do it right away?"
"You can just do it during your morning training sessions. Right now, you're always practicing in the same spot, so I'd appreciate it if you could work on the whole yard bit by bit. Of course, I'll compensate you for it."
"No, please let me do it as a token of gratitude for letting me use the yard to train."
She offered to pay, but I was already receiving the privilege of using her backyard.
I insisted on doing it free of charge to thank her for her hospitality.
After a brief back-and-forth over whether I would accept payment, I finally managed to convince her.
And with that, it was decided that I would work on leveling the backyard during my morning training starting tomorrow.